Starfall
by tromana
Summary: Hex sometimes feels like she’s trailed him throughout his life to date. She smiled and assured him it’s just coincidence. Hex/Romana


**Title: **Starfall  
**Author:** tromana  
**Rating: **K+  
**Characters: **Hex/Romana  
**Spoilers: **None  
**Summary:** Hex sometimes feels like she's trailed him throughout his life to date. She smiled and assured him it's just coincidence.  
**Notes: **Written for sneakyangel on livejournal in the 10 drabbles request meme.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Doctor Who. If I did, a crossover with the Mentalist would be hitting your screens soon.

**Starfall**

Hex first met Romana the day he realised he wasn't ever going to become a professional footballer. Not that he remembers their meeting, particularly.

He'd been down the park with his mates, just kicking a ball around. Determined to show off the skills he'd recently picked up, and prove that he, Thomas Hector Schofield, could be the next big thing. He had it all planned out. First, he would be picked up by Liverpool's junior squad, before quickly rising up the ranks for his debut in their first team.

They'd just been messing about, not noticing just how close they had got to the field's perimeter, and consequently, the busy main road. It was only a matter of time before one of the young lads kicked it over the fence.

Chasing the ball out into the middle of the road hadn't been such a good idea. The driver hadn't seen him coming and simply didn't have time to slow down. Whilst drifting in and out of consciousness, he vaguely heard the soft voice of a woman fretting over the differences between human and 'Time Lord' physiology. Luckily for Hex, one of his mates had the common sense to ring for an ambulance.

A broken leg may have put a stop to his 'blossoming' football career, a star cut before his time, but a kindly male nurse gave him other ideas.

---

The second time he saw her, he didn't recognise her. She hadn't aged a day but considering during their previous incursion he had been barely conscious, it was hardly surprising.

She was guiding an elderly patient out of the hospital, whispering soothingly. In her encouragement, Hex overheard her say something about getting the odd old woman off 'this godforsaken planet' and back to somewhere 'with the perfect facilities for a Gryden of her distinguished age'.

Hex was only a trainee nurse at the time. He hadn't the confidence to stop her, she carried herself with such authority. This meant he could only watch on in bewilderment.

However, once he regained his senses, he was able to check the records. It appeared that a certain Mrs. Florence Hamilton had not only never been admitted to the hospital, but had never existed in the first place.

---

Hex would have recognised her the third time, if she had been the blonde one. But she wasn't, so he didn't.

He was in the middle of his Christmas shopping; a time that never failed to depress him. Hex was struggling to decide what would be a suitable present for his mother when a haughty brunette and a man in an unruly scarf barged straight past him. She was swinging a white pointy object around whilst announcing that she was certain that he had got it all wrong. And that she would absolutely not be allowing him to generate the co-ordinates with the tracer again.

Hex was quickly beginning to believe that Liverpool wasn't just full with drunken students and football fans. Instead, it was occupied predominantly by weirdoes.

---

Once he got caught up with Ace and the Doctor's adventures, for want of a better word, he came across Romana so many times that he eventually lost count. Each time, she would nod her greeting to Hex, whilst Ace scowled, before dragging the Doctor off for a 'quick' chat. These were almost always dotted with furtive glances in his and Ace's direction. Hex always fancied that she was asking him to dump them somewhere and return home. Somehow, her smile when she left always made these thoughts disappear.

Ace began to joke about when the 'ice maiden' would next make her appearance. Hex always attempted to shush her, theorising that Romana simply wasn't very good at dealing with humans.

---

It was midnight, or as near as damn it on this godforsaken lump of rock. The orbit was close enough to other planets for spectacular eclipses, not that Hex was in any mood to enjoy them. He was alone. The Doctor and Ace had left him behind and he couldn't even remember how. All he knew was he'd been knocked unconscious and when he awoke, he was horribly alone.

His heart leapt as he heard the sound of the TARDIS defying the laws of physics somewhere close by. He found it hard to conceal his disappointment when a grey box appeared, but cheered considerably when Romana emerged.

She sat him down and they watched as shooting stars appeared to fall around them. It was a spectacular sight, and half of him wished Ace and the Doctor were there to enjoy it with him. At least Romana was, though. Hex felt like he'd known her all his life, yet felt he barely knew her at all.

When he broke the silence, Hex told her that he sometimes feels like she's trailed him throughout his life to date. She smiled and assured him it's just coincidence. Absorbed in the moment, Hex cannot help but place an arm around the only sentient life form for light years.

end


End file.
